The former head of the Jamaica Defence Force this morning testified at the Tivoli Enquiry that within five minutes of him briefing then Prime Minister Bruce Golding in August 2009 about a pending extradition request for Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the former don fled his home in Plantation Heights for the armed enclave of Tivoli Gardens.
The evidence was given by Major General Stewart Saunders during his examination-in-chief at the commission being held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.
Saunders said he knew for certain of Coke fleeing to Tivoli Gardens because he was under army surveillance starting two weeks prior to this.
Meanwhile, he said members of the police force were demoralised and some refused to report for duty; as a result, the army was asked to assist. He said the intense attacks on the police and even the JDF base by gunmen had driven fear into the police.
Saunders said also that the operation “to apprehend Coke lost its” element of surprise when Golding broadcast that the authority would commence extradition proceedings against Coke on May 18, 2010.
“It did take me by surprise,” Saunders said of hearing the announcement for the first time on the media.
I’m not picking that up, rather I think he publicly made the announcement so as a result, Dudus was able to go into hiding.
I don’t think he needed police radio to know the inner workings of the police since he had the ear of all the big men in the police force and the government.
On another note, Dudus house is horribly constructed. It’s built like an oversized box with poor ventilation. Most houses in platation heights have terraces surrounding every room. I suppose when you have lots of enemies you construct your place like Alcatraz.
Yuh seh you grew up in Plantation Heights and still own a house there, why yuh nuh show us a picture a fi yuh house? Weh yuh need ventilation fah when youh have central air? Yuh house have any a/c?
Do you care to name the big men in the police force and the government that Dudus had on his payroll?